Seven Spoons: My Favorite Recipes for Any and Every Day by Tara O’Brady

Long before food photography became fashionable Tara O’Brady was passionately crafting and

blogging edible creations. Her blog, Seven Spoons—hailed as “human, honest and beautifully

written”—evolved into a cookbook of the same name, losing none of O’Brady’s fresh talent in

the transition. Seven Spoons: My Favorite Recipes for Any and Every Day is a glorious mash-up

of food fusion, intelligent musings and photographs that can “make just about anybody want to

lick their computer screen.” Incorporating a palate honed by family heritage and an apprecia-

tion of Canada’s multi-cultural culinary traditions, her cookbook blends global tastes and trends

into original recipes, creating delectable and doable dishes for the modern Canadian family.

Hammer Head: the making of a carpenter by Nina McLaughlin

Witnessing loyal readers morph into demanding users, and news-worthy events demoted to

tweets left journalist Nina McLaughlin disenchanted with her job. Choosing to step off a well-

defined career path she applied for the curious position of “Carpenter’s Assistant: women strongly

encouraged to apply.” Winning the job, yet knowing nothing of the trade, she apprentices for

Mary, a rare woman in a male dominated occupation. Shaped gently into a carpenter by Mary’s

wry mentorship and sage advice, McLaughlin learns to love the heft of the hammer and creation of

the tangible. Crafting and sanding her words with care, Hammer Head reads as “if Annie Dillard

had her own show on HGTV.” Not only is this the tale of becoming a carpenter, but also an honest

rejoicing over the discovery of calling and fulfillment.

Featured Titles Summer 2015

Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry

Drawing comparisons with Emma Donoghue’s Frog Music, Church of Marvels follows four characters through New York City in 1896. Young performers Odile and Isabelle grieve the loss the Coney Island theatre and sideshow called “Church of Marvels” that has burned to the ground taking their mother’s life with it. We follow the Odile to the lower eastside to search for her now vanished sister in a world where misfits retreat into the gritty underside of the city. Meanwhile another young woman, Alphie, wakes up in a lunatic asylum trying to piece together how she got there. Four storylines converge to a surprising and satisfying ending for the reader who tracks these characters’ journeys. Themes of gender and sexuali-ty. Debut novel that is visceral and atmospheric.

The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi

Genre-bending thriller set in the near future when long-term water shortages in Nevada, Arizona and California create life and death competition for control of the Colorado River. Angel Ve-lasquez is the “water knife” a kind of mercenary, assassin and spy. He delivers water to real es-tate developer Catherine Case who pursues ruthless self-interest even if it means stealing water from others to supply her Las Vegas highrise “arcologies” while the poor are left parched. When rumour of a new water source near Phoenix brings Angel to the city to investigate, he encoun-ters journalist Lucy Monroe, a keeper of water secrets, and migrant Maria Villarosa. These three must confront a conspiracy with lives at stake and trust compromised. The body count rises when the value of water is greater than oil.

Featured Titles Summer 2015